


Slow Dancing

by dearlykyu



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bickering, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Endgame Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Fluff and Angst, I SAID I WARNED YOU, M/M, Making Out, Prom, Reddie, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Sad Richie Tozier, Sad with a Happy Ending, Side Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh - Freeform, Soft Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, bc phones and also bc i can't force them to live in the homophobia of the 80s, because ofc, but its, fight me, i warned you, it's also a bit angsty so, it's short though don't hate me, seriously it's soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 04:08:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21130505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearlykyu/pseuds/dearlykyu
Summary: It's prom night for the Losers Club. Richie isn't sure he can take being surrounded by all these goddamn gushy couples. Not when the one he loves is right there.He was right. It's too much for him.(Mature due to Strong Language (as expected))





	Slow Dancing

**Author's Note:**

> just so you know, no one in this fic is less than 18 years old. I didn't want to write a steamy makeout session with minors. that's just me, don't @ me. 
> 
> in this universe, Pennywise ACTUALLY DIED the first time, so Reddie can get the goddamn happy ending THEY DESERVE. FUCK YOU. 
> 
> I got the inspo for this mess from a post I saw on instagram and then tracked down on twitter for all our sakes so: https://twitter.com/bitozier/status/1176818230473588736?s=20
> 
> there ya go. one damn sentence inspired this fucker. fuck me. let's cry over reddie together, my friends.

"Mom, seriously! This is overkill!"

A flash blinded Richie's eyes as his mother took the millionth picture of him in his prom attire, standing amongst the Losers.

"Oh, Richie, calm yourself. You didn't get a pretty girl for today so I have to get my pictures somehow," his mother responded, oblivious to how the simple remark made Richie's chest hurt.

Bev eyed him from the corner of her eye but stayed silent, as she only knew his secret from the time Richie had snuck his dad's stash of whiskey and she had to haul his sorry ass home. A drunk Richie is an emotional Richie. Or maybe it was just because he was 16, almost 17 at the time and he shouldn't have been drinking in the first place. He looked up and they locked eyes, and her heart clenched at the sight of tears welling up in his eyes. He shook his head, a sharp twitch of sorts, so that it would go unnoticed by everyone except Bev. She gave him a quick sympathetic smile and turned her attention back to Ben, who had his arm around her waist and a big smile on his face.

Bill and Mike had also foregone asking any girls to prom, and Eddie said all the girls were too unsanitary for his standards. Stanley had actually gotten a girl to say yes- sweet, lanky, and nerdy like him- so he was at her place for pictures. So, the four bachelors formed a slightly depressing ring around the only present prom couple: Bev and Ben.

Richie finally got his mom to stop when Bill and Eddie also chimed in that they really needed to be going, making some excuse about finding good parking at the venue. She fussed over his bow tie, much to his chagrin, before he escaped her clutches, practically running to his car. They were all going in separate vehicles; Bev with Ben, Bill with Mike, and Richie with Eddie. He was internally overjoyed to be alone with Eddie in his car, but he was externally panicking.

And that of course led to the only way he knew how to show his love for the younger boy.

"Damn, Spaghetti Head, didn't know you had other outfits besides your great grandma's," he snickered, despite his hands feeling incredibly clammy on his steering wheel as they started the drive to the prom venue. Eddie rolled his eyes and didn't even spare Richie a glance.

"Shut the fuck up, Trashmouth. At least put on some damn music if you're gonna be a dick and insult my clothes," Eddie shot back, reaching forward to tune the radio. 

Richie nervously tapped his fingers to his own beat, glancing at Eddie every chance he got. Damn, he really did look stunning. He was wearing navy slacks and a white button up, a fitted jacket over that. He decided not to wear a tie or anything else, leaving the top button undone. God, when the fuck did he get so fucking handsome? It's like he went for boyishly cute to please-fu- holy shit, that thought was going somewhere dangerous. 

Well, it's not like he looked worse. Richie himself was wearing black slacks with a navy button up, a matching black jacket, and a stark white bow tie to stand out. His curly locks had grown out over the years, just trimming it here and there, so the dark swirls reached just above his shoulders. He was pretty good lookin', if he did say so himself. 

"Jesus Christ, is all there's playing right now is this bullshit?" Eddie mumbled, still fiddling with the station knob. He finally gave up, just settling for a lesser-known rock station but lowered the volume so it wasn't disturbing. He fidgeted with the cuffs of his jacket and shirt sleeve, folded up so the white peeked out over the jacket.

"...You look good, Richie," Eddie mumbled out so softly, Richie almost didn't catch it. He swore he wasn't blushing but his burning face said otherwise. He just hoped Eddie couldn't see it through the dark lighting of the night sky. 

"Uh, wha-uh... thanks?" 

Smooth. Real fucking smooth. Can't stop talking to save his life but he gets a genuine compliment from the boy he likes and he turns into a fucking puddle of gibberish. Of course.

Richie glanced over at Eddie and... was he... smiling? 

_God, stop being so fucking cute, fuck you. My heart can't take this shit. Why did we agree to go in the same car? Why the hell did I offer? I'm such a dumbass, I'm going to fucking die before we make it and Eddie is gonna have to drag my dead ass out. Because that's so atractive, right?_ Richie's mind was in overdrive and he failed to see that his lack of anything else to say was causing Eddie to react in nervousness, his hands twitching as if he wanted to reach for the inhaler he hasn't used ever since he confronted his mom about his faux illnesses.

"Y-you're welcome," He softly responded, slightly regretting even saying anything. "Dumbass," he added on, just to lighten up the atmosphere.

Richie snorted, his nerves slightly diminishing. "Fuck you," was his genius comeback. Truly, one for the books.

The silence that followed was a world-record. The rest of the Losers would never believe that these two had stayed silent for such a long period of time. If you listened closely, you could hear Richie's internal screaming.

Finally, they arrived at the venue. Fifteen excruciating minutes of awkwardness. This is why Richie is single (it's totally not because he's not attracted to any of the girls in this shitty hellhole of a town and just attracted to his best fucking friend).

Eddie glanced at Richie nervously before letting out a deep sigh and opening the car door to get out. He stepped out just as Bill and everyone else were pulling into their own findings for parking, Bill's face impossibly red and Mike's face looking smug. What that was about, he was pretty sure he didn't want to know.

Richie stayed sitting in his spot, counting slowly in his head to calm himself down. He breathed in and out, loosening his tight grip on his steering wheel and letting his starch white knuckles return to their natural color.

He turned off the ignition and grabbed his keys as he stepped out of his car, locking it and sliding the keys into his inner jacket pocket. The rest of the losers sauntered over to Eddie and Richie, Bev and Ben holding hands with dumb lovesick smiles on their faces. Damn, it wasn't fair. This is one of those moments where Richie wondered if his life would've been easier if he had been a girl.

He'd still be an asshole, though.

"Alright, losers, ready to crash this shit fest?" Bev announced, causing everyone to smile and chime in their agreements. They walked together to find Stanley and his date, who were waiting at a bench near the entrance.

"Whoa, Stan, is that you? You look like a fucking actor, what the hell," Bill called out, everyone surprised to see how well he cleaned up. Stanley smiled and stood up with his hand clasped to his date's, her glasses adding to how adorable she was.

"Thanks, man. You all look great too, so don't even start," Stan responded, rummaging through his coat. He mumbled something to his date and she rolled her eyes with a fond smile. She clasped open her hand clutch and pulled out everyone's prom tickets.

"Without me, you would've lost your head too," she joked. Stanley smiled shyly. Everyone walked up to her and grabbed their own ticket, even Richie mumbling a low thank you.

They then followed the two up the steps into the venue, which was really just a glorified concert hall. It was pretty big though and the hallways were decorated with colors abiding by the theme- under the sea. Sea foam greens, light and dark blues, soft whites, and pastels matching coral reefs littered the venue. Streamers and balloons were hung up and intricately painted fishes and reefs were on the walls, and the entrance to the ballroom was extravagantly decorated with mermaids and fishes, more streamers and balloons. They handed their tickets to the staff in charge, receiving vague directions to where the tables to sit and the tables of food were.

"Alright, well," Ben said after everyone was situated at a table they all found empty. "See you guys on the dance floor!" And with that, he and Bev left softly laughing for the floor. Stanley and his date smiled at each other and excused themselves to do the same, his hands resting on her waist as they swayed to the beat. Richie was chowing down on some finger foods he snagged from the food table while Eddie fidgeted with his phone, and Bill and Mike nibbled on their own finger foods.

Depressing. The sight of the four of them sitting alone at a table was just depressing.

That is, until a pair of shy junior girls walked up to their table. Richie tensed and started praying that they weren't about to ask him for a dance because not only did he have terrible coordination, but he didn't trust himself to fake interest. Not with Eddie sitting right across from him.

Thankfully, although sadly because they were stealing them away, the girls asked Mike and Bill for a dance. The two flushed and Bill managed to stammer out a yes so they looped arms with their respective now-dates and went off to join the many couples on the dance floor.

"Guess it's just you and me, fucknut," Richie mumbled around his full mouth. Eddie grimaced at the sight, sighing out something about how talking with your mouth full is a bad manner.

"Yeah, well, your mom-"

"Beep, beep, Richie. Don't start with the mom jokes. I don't want to hear that fucking shit tonight," Eddie interrupted, which left Richie shocked silent.

He was about to open his mouth to actually attempt an apology when a slightly scared girl walked up to their table. She smiled shyly at the two of them, but her eyes landed on Eddie.

Richie could already feel his heart cracking. She asked him if she would dance with her, twirling her hair around a finger in an attempt to flirt.

_Please. No. Don't take him. I don't want to be alone_, Richie thought, his hands slightly shaking as he just... watched. Eddie smiled and God, why couldn't he look at Richie like that? He nodded and the girl's face just beamed. He stood up and of course, they had to link hands. Richie felt like in between their hands, they held the half of his heart that Eddie just unknowingly took with him.

Suddenly, he didn't have an appetite anymore. He put down the unfinished chicken wing he had in his grasp and grabbed the napkins scattered on the table to wipe off his fingers. Broken. That's how he felt in that moment.

He leaned forward and rested his head in his hands, suddenly fighting back tears. He heard two chairs scraping from near him and he glanced up. He regretted it. Stanley and his date had sat back down and they were sweating from dancing, but smiling. They looked so happy, so in love, and Richie just felt his heart break even more. He would never get that. How could he possibly find love when the one he wanted didn't even feel like he did? Why did he have to be the freak? The actual freak of the Losers Club.

Apparently, he hated himself much more because he let his eyes wander and they landed on Eddie. He had his hands clasped in the girl's that stole him away, both of them jumping with everyone else to the upbeat tempo. His smile looked so free. He looked so... shameless. Happy.

He couldn't do this. He had to get out of there.

Richie suddenly stood up, the force of his chair pushing back causing Stanley and his date to jump out of their own world.

"Rich, you okay, man?" Stanley asked, standing up. The concern, the genuine fucking concern, in his eyes didn't help. At all. Richie smiled, strained, and nodded.

"Yeah, I just need some fresh fucking air," he managed to choke out right before he turned and sped walked out of the ballroom, ignoring Stanley's calls to come back.

He smiled at the staff standing at the entrance, and their eyes just had to flash with concern as well. Fuck them, fuck all of them. He needed to be alone.

He kept walking until he reached a turn in the hallway that led to another room, a smaller theater of sorts. He followed down the hallway until he was out of reach of hearing and he collapsed against the wall.

And he just let go.

The tears just started streaming down his face as he hiccuped on sobs, bringing his knees up to curl around them. He cried and cried, for so many things. He cried out of sadness that the one he loved may never love him back, out of anger that he is the way he is, and out of guilt for even thinking Eddie would just stay single alongside him. Stupid, it was so stupid. He thought he would be just fine if Eddie stayed single and they just had each other to lean on. Not happy, but fine. He could live with that. But that was selfish. Eddie was his own person. He deserved to find love, and Richie was cursed to forever watch from the sidelines as Eddie took half of his heart with him.

He hated everything.

He tried to curl up further into a ball and just let his mind drift as his eyes closed, silently crying for what will never be.

-

Eddie smiled at the girl he was dancing with, but his mind was elsewhere. She was cute, he supposed, but he wasn't really interested. Not in her, not in any of the girls here. She didn't have the dark curly hair he loved to tug at, or the dark brown eyes that lit up in amusement when Eddie gave a good comeback. She didn't have those stupid thick rimmed glasses that just made the dark eyes bigger and more alluring or the dumb freckles that Eddie wanted to trace forever.

She wasn't Richie.

The song finally ended and he let go of her hands. She seemed a little disappointed but she smiled nonetheless.

"Thank you for the dance, I guess," she said. She shrugged and stepped away from him, assimilating herself back into her group of giggling friends. He turned around and locked eyes with Bev. She smiled over Ben's shoulder, but she looked worried. He scrunched his eyebrows in response and she cocked her head to the side, gesturing towards their table. He turned around and made his way over, a bit excited to sit back down with Richie.

As he got closer, he realized why Bev looked so concerned. Richie wasn't there and Stanley's date was trying to calm Stanley down as he tried to call someone.

"Hey, guys. Where's Richie?" Eddie asked. Stanley lifted his head and put his phone down, Richie's number sending him to his obnoxious voicemail recording.

"I don't know, Eds. He just... stood up and looked like he'd seen a ghost or something," and he locked eyes with Eddie. They both felt a chill of fear go through them, thinking back to that summer about six years ago, where they fought back Pennywise. But that couldn't be what was tormenting Richie because that murderous clown was gone and none of them felt the overwhelming fear.

"I can't get a hold of him. All my calls are getting sent straight to voicemail and he's not answering my texts. Even Bev tried to get a response from him," Stanley continued, his date squeezing his hand in sympathy. "Nothing. I don't know where he went, but I don't think he left the building."

Eddie felt shocked, and a little numb. Richie to just up and leave all of a sudden wasn't really like him. He was getting worried.

He gave Stanley a strained but reassuring smile, patting his shoulder. "I'll go look for him," he said. Stanley nodded. "Just stay here, you two go back to having fun. I'll text you if I found him."

And with that, he walked out of the ballroom. Just as he was about to go straight, one of the staff grabbed his attention.

"If you're looking for your friend with the curly hair, he went to the right and turned down the hallway to the secondary theater. Just make sure he isn't getting himself into any trouble, will ya?" The man called out. Eddie smiled in thanks and followed the directions the man gave him. His footsteps got faster and faster the closer he got to the hallway in question, his heart hammering in his chest. 

He turned down the hallway and as he reached the doors for the theater, he heard sniffling. He slowly turned his head, his heart still in overdrive, but was met with something more heartbreaking than scary: Richie was curled up, wiping at his eyes and sniffling through his nose.

"Ri... Rich?" Eddie whispered, facing towards him. Richie jumped and straightened up, wiping furiously at his face before he removed his hands and looked up.

Eddie swore he could hear his heart break at the sight. Richie's eyes were pink and puffy, his nose tinged red and his cheeks all blotchy. His breathing was a bit haggard, so Eddie knew he had been crying. For a while.

"H-hey. What are you doing here?" Richie rasped out, clearing his throat after.

"I could ask you the same thing," Eddie responded, making his way towards his best friend. He quickly sent a text to Stanley that Richie was okay and put his phone back into his pocket. He slid down the wall to sit next to Richie and said boy flinched slightly, which caused Eddie's chest to ache.

"Just, um, needed a fucking break from all the romantic bullshit," Richie mumbled, his hand coming up to wipe at wet spots he missed on his face.

Eddie's eyes scanned over him, taking in his askew bow tie and how his jacket was laid next to him, some spots darker than others. As if he had been using it to soak up his tears.

Fuck, Richie never cried like this. Eddie's heart has never hurt so much. He just wanted to make Richie smile and throw verbal jabs at him, to look at him with happy eyes and not the literal pained ones that could barely glance at him right now.

"Hey," Eddie hummed, calling for Richie's attention. Richie fumbled with his glasses, probably having taken them off to have a proper crying session. "Richie," Eddie tried again, scooting closer to him.

Richie heaved a sigh and slipped his glasses back on, reluctantly turning his head towards Eddie.

He was so fucking close. Really fucking close.

"You can talk to me, man. You know that, right?" Eddie softly said, his eyes mixed with concern and... something else. Something Richie couldn't place. "What's wrong?" Eddie asked, his hand reaching out and resting on Richie's knee. The touch felt like fire, Eddie's hand suddenly very warm and he was acutely aware of how warm Richie felt. Richie tensed up and Eddie was about to remove his hand in panic when Richie placed his own hand over Eddie's, shaking.

"I... I don’t...," Richie tried to get out, choking up again. Eddie got closer, as close as he could get, and locked eyes with Richie.

"Rich. It's okay. Take your time. I'll still be here for you," he reassured him, squeezing his knee to emphasize his point.

Richie breathed out softly, and his eyes flicked down at the same time Eddie's flicked down, looking at Richie's lips. They were slightly puffy from crying and also from Richie biting them. He glanced back up before he could think anymore, his cheeks slowly turning pink.

When did Richie's face get so close? Their noses were practically touching, and their eyes were half lidded. Eddie could feel Richie's breath softly fanning over his face, over his lips. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, but it was really only about a minute.

"Why aren't you backing away?" Richie whispered. Eddie's eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He whispered back, puffs of air hitting Richie's lips.

"I mean... doesn't this... scare you?" Richie responded, his hand tightly gripping Eddie's over his knee, as if he was genuinely scared of Eddie letting go. "Aren't you... disgusted? That a guy is... this close to your face?"

Eddie paused, and he locked his eyes with Richie's. "Are you?" Eddie whispered, and he watched Richie's eyes become less sad and more... confused... and a bit amused. His lips twitched as if he was fighting back a smile.

"No. Not with you, at least," Richie responded, his cheeks heating up to a red, diminishing the splotches from crying.

"Oh," was all Eddie could get out, since his heart felt like it was trying to crawl out through his throat.

"Yeah," Richie said, inching closer, closer. His lips barely brushed Eddie's as he added, "oh."

He closed the distance and his lips pressed against Eddie's.

-

_Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh FUCK. I'm KISSING him! I'M KISSING EDDIE. WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT AM I DOING? WHY ISN'T HE PULLING AWAY? OH GOD, HE'S NOT RESPONDING, I SHOULD STO-oh._ Richie's thoughts came to a halt as Eddie seemed to come back to the present and he pressed forward, his eyes fluttering shut and his eyelashes brushing over Richie's face.

_Oh_, Richie thought to himself. His hands seemed to take on a mind of their own as they came up and gripped each side of Eddie's neck, the gentlest he's ever been. Eddie hummed against his lips and pressed even closer, his hands coming up and tangling themselves into Richie's hair. Slowly, their lips moved together and at this point, Eddie was just trying to get onto Richie's lap. Who was Richie to deny him? He turned his body so he was fully facing Eddie and he took that as his cue. Without stopping their kiss, Eddie lifted onto his knees and crawled the short space to straddle Richie's lap. One of Richie's hands slowly slid down and gripped Eddie's waist, the other remaining at his neck.

God, this couldn't be real. Richie had to be dreaming. In a few seconds, he would wake up to an empty bedroom and tight boxers.

But he didn't. He kept kissing Eddie like his life depended on it, their lips wet and slick as they slowly made out. Richie slid his tongue out of habit to lick his lips and Eddie shivered. He let out a soft sound and all of Richie's nerves just shot up as Eddie relaxed his lips for him. Richie slid his tongue into his mouth and Eddie made that sound again. He was going to go fucking insane if he kept doing that, holy shit.

Eddie gently tugged at Richie's hair and okay, why did that feel so good? He groaned softly, which then in turn made Eddie shiver again. His hands let go of Richie's curls, much to both of their dismay, to nudge at his shoulders. Richie pulled back, nipping at Eddie's lower lip, just because. They rested their foreheads together, their breathing equally heavy.

"I... you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Richie whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment, for once in his life. The smile Richie got was enough to last him for the rest of his life. He could die and be happy because he got to see Eddie smile like that, at **him**.

"Yeah?" Eddie chuckled, softly nuzzling his nose against Richie's. "I'm glad you finally did, then."

Richie smiled, his eyes scrunching up. Eddie's heart soared at the sight and he honestly couldn't believe this was really happening.

"How long?" Eddie whispered, his hand cupping Richie's cheek. Richie nuzzled into his touch, his eyes closed in serenity.

"Too long. Years. Since ... way before that summer, honestly," Richie responded, a weight lifting from his chest to finally have it out in the open. Eddie hummed and his lips quirked up in a smile. "You?"

Eddie's smile turned coy and he opened his eyes, meeting Richie's. "Not as long as you. I think the time we all fell asleep in the clubhouse eighth grade year, and your morning wood was pressing against my leg made me realize," he snickered.

Richie's face heated up in embarrassment. "What the fuck?! Why? Why then?!" He ruined the moment, but he didn't care. Neither did Eddie, who threw his head back and laughed.

"Because," Eddie snorted out, calming himself. "It didn't bother me, and I realized all your fucking jokes about your dick weren't exactly lies. Fuck you, by the way," he said, raising an eyebrow. "When we all had gym together last year, and we showered before leaving, you just had to walk out without a towel and leave me dying in there. Not like you knew. But what the fuck, who needs a dick that big?"

Richie laughed, his eyes full of mirth. "I do. Just to prove all you pussies wrong."

Eddie hummed, his eyes dark and Richie's breath caught in his throat as Eddie traced a finger under the collar of Richie's shirt. "I do too... but for ulterior motives," he whispered, a sly smile on his face.

"Fuck," Richie unintentionally rasped out, causing Eddie to snort, which turned into him laughing. And Richie just joined in, the two of them a mess- a big, laughing, gay mess.

Their laughing died down, Richie's hands on Eddie's waist and Eddie's arms wrapped behind his neck. In the mutual silence that followed, they could hear the music from the ballroom drift into the hallway.

A slow song. Figures.

Eddie smiled at Richie and okay, maybe slow songs aren't that bad. Richie would live.

Eddie stood up and smiled shyly, which was uncalled for. Richie just had his fucking tongue down his throat like, two minutes ago. Richie followed his lead and stood up as well, Eddie having to adjust his head to look up at him. Richie was unnecessarily tall.

Richie cleared his throat, his cheeks flushed. He held out his hand. His eyes flicked nervously around. "Uh, do you want to... dance? With me?"

Eddie smiled and he would kill anyone that said it, but he giggled. He slid his hand into Richie's and Richie pulled him closer, resting his hands at Eddie's waist. Eddie's hands came up and locked behind Richie's neck. "Of course, Trashmouth," he giggled.

"Don't call me that," Richie rolled his eyes, but there was no offense or malice in his words. He didn't actually care. "Prepare to be danced out of this world, Spaghetti Eddie."

"Don't call me that," Eddie repeated, but his smile gave away the fact that he also didn't care.

"Whatever you say, Eds," Richie hummed, pressing closer and leading Eddie into a slow dance. Their feet glided and it felt like they were in their own little world inside this bubble, where no one else could bother them. Richie looked down and his eyes met Eddie's. They smiled like the love-struck fools they are. Richie leaned down, not once stopping their dance, and pressed his lips against Eddie's again, so so softly.

Eddie smiled through the kiss, Richie following suit. They laughed quietly into the kiss, pulling back to lean their foreheads against each other's.

They danced around the hallway, Richie pulling back to spin Eddie into his arms, causing Eddie to laugh in euphoria. The smile on Richie's face hurt his cheeks, but he wouldn't have it any other way. They continued like that, their feet guiding them through the song and Richie occasionally spinning Eddie, just to make him laugh.

God, he really does love him.

For the final twirl to the song, Richie spun Eddie so forcefully that they stumbled, Richie's arms tightening around Eddie's waist and Eddie's hands clutching to Richie's shirt. Richie managed to right the two of them but kept Eddie pressed close to him, their heartbeats hammering against the other's chest. They stayed silent as they just stared into each other's eyes, not wanting to break the silence.

Richie thought he heard their friends asking the staff member if they saw either of the two but he ignored it. He didn't want this moment to be ruined yet.

Eddie smiled and Richie returned the smile before he leaned down again, kissing Eddie as softly as he did before. Eddie hummed into the kiss and lifted up onto his toes to gain more leverage, Richie's grip on his waist anchoring him.

They didn't even stop when they heard the collective gasps from their friends that found them, nor did they stop when Bill exclaimed, "WHAT THE FUCK?!" at the same time that Bev and even Stanley yelled, "FUCKING FINALLY!"

The group swarmed the two boys, forcing them to pull apart from their kiss. They had questions thrown at them, like how long they had been out in the hallway and why wasn't Richie wearing his jacket? Among the questions were the sounds of praise. Their friends didn't care, they were just happy that Eddie and Richie were finally happy.

And Stanley and Bev were relieved to finally see all the fucking heart eyes and terrible flirting come to fruition. Seriously.

"It's about fucking time, you two," Bev laughed, Stanley nodding his agreement. Even his date was smiling happily for the two boys.

"Eh, fuck off. I'm trying to make out with..." Richie glanced over at Eddie, unsure as to how to refer to him.

"Boyfriend. He's trying to make out with his boyfriend," Eddie responded, smiling up at Richie.

Richie's heart basically rocketed to the moon and crashed full force back into his body at the word.

_Boyfriend. Holy shit. I have a fucking boyfriend. Eddie is my fucking boyfriend. My hot, annoying ass boyfriend._

The group snickered as Richie unintentionally said those thoughts out loud, his face in a daze.

"I have a boyfriend, holy fuck," he whispered, which only caused the group to burst into further hysteria. Mike and Bill leaned on each other in laughter and Bev was wiping tears from laughing so hard. Stanley and Ben were nudging each other as they laughed, and his date hid her laughter behind her dainty hand.

"Rich, we can hear you," Eddie snorted, holding in his own laughter. Richie's dazed expression landed on Eddie and a smile that could outshine the sun lit up his face.

"Yeah, and? You signed up for this shit. You get all of this," and he wiggled to emphasize his point. Eddie snorted and shook his head, fondly smiling.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," Eddie shot back. "The local Trashmouth and Hypochondriac, a couple. Who would've guessed?"

"Me. I did. You guys aren't exactly subtle. I was losing my mind," Stanley butt in, causing Bev, Bill, and Mike to double over in laughter for the second time. Ben snorted and tried to act like he didn't.

"Oh, but, Stan. Silly, naive Stan," Richie chided, smiling mischievously. "We're only just beginning."

And the group groaned as Richie pulled Eddie in for a dramatic kiss, but they all had smiles on their faces. Despite knowing that the disgusting romantics of the two was only going to get worse from now on, they were happy.

Things were finally the way they should be.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you liked this ;-;
> 
> i'm thinking about adding on a part where the losers had booked rooms in a hotel for after prom and reddie shenanigans ensue... if you know what i'm getting at *suggestive side eye*
> 
> lmk what y'all think! this is my first ever fic on here so I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions (within reason, have mercy, I am but a sleep deprived college student with two jobs)
> 
> p.s. follow me on twit @loserbfs hehe


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